Discussion on Pine

[Lavender]

Some people can be allergic to pine. Before using any of these recipes, you might want to do the patch test first. Put a dab of the oil/salve/whatever on the inner forearm. Put a bandaid over it & wait at least 24 hours. Check & see if you have any reactions.

Pine wood has been used for everything from furniture to toys to musical instruments, etc. The tree itself has provided food & shelter to wildlife. As well, pine trees are well known Christmas symbol.

The new growing tips of the pine can provide a good source of vitamin C and iron. You can harvest the new tips in the early spring. These tips can be made into a tea to be drunk plain or a bit of honey. The tea has a nice lemony citrus taste. The tips can also be dried for later use. The new tips have a scent that is quite different from the older needles. It's a much sweeter scent. You can also eat the new tips by themselves or tossed with salad. Quite tasty.

Pine resin is an excellent healing agent due to it's antiseptic properties. The resin can be gathered by tapping into the tree like you would collecting maple syrup. The resin can be chewed to soothe sore throats, help chronic coughs, or any other lung conditions. Pine resin plasters are great for sore muscles, bruises, sprains, and other rheumatic symptons.

A warm soak in pine water will help if you have poor circulation. It will strengthen your blood vessels & stimulate your skin. Gather about 2 cups of fresh needles & twigs & cones. Chop them up into small pieces. Simmer gently on low heat for 30 minutes. Strain & add the decoction to the bath. Finish with a quick cold shower. This really makes your skin tingles! :)

Pine oil can also be used exteranlly for various skin problems like psoriasis and eczema. You will need 2 cups sweet almond oil or olive oil, 1 cup of fresh needles, twigs & pine cones - cut into small pieces. Simmer for 3-4 hours on very low heat. Don't let the mixture burn. Strain & store in an airtight bottle. This oil can be used as is, or further made into a salve by melting down 1 part beeswax to 5 parts oil.

[Silver Venus]

I cant say that Ive used pine essential oil much at all, I do love the smell of it though!
You can buy pine honey already made up which is soo tasty :mmm:
I use the resin for incense which is a great smell and very good for binding your ingredients together ~ as you said you can just extract some very easily from a pine tree, by gently asking the treee's permission, then cutting a small square of the bark of, about 5cm by 5cm should do you fine, then you wait a week for the sap to leak out of the tree, and go back to collect some by scraping this off and giving an offering for the resin you have taken. Then you can keep on going back to your pine tree every few weeks and get more resin :)
Its great with sandlewood chips and lavender buds, with a dash of orange essential oil :D

I've taken note of all your great tips Wild ~ thanks!

[Lavender]

Originally posted by Silver Venus
Its great with sandlewood chips and lavender buds, with a dash of orange essential oil :D


Hmmmm! I'll have to try that combination. Sounds like it would smell so nice. :)

[Flaire-FireStar]

Pine oil can also be used exteranlly for various skin problems like psoriasis and eczema. You will need 2 cups sweet almond oil or olive oil, 1 cup of fresh needles, twigs & pine cones - cut into small pieces. Simmer for 3-4 hours on very low heat. Don't let the mixture burn. Strain & store in an airtight bottle. This oil can be used as is, or further made into a salve by melting down 1 part beeswax to 5 parts oil.

Will have to try this.... Though first must find a pine tree. ;)

[Lavender]

heheh! I'm sure there must be a pine tree or two near where you are. :D

[Flaire-FireStar]

A guy down the block does, but I'm not sure he'd appriciate me attacking his tree. :p

Makes a great excuse to go on a walk in the woods though. :)

[Epona44]

:(

We have White pine, balsam fir, Colorado Spruce, Blue Spruce, Scotch Pine, Hemlock, Yellow Pine, (inhales, catches breath) juniper, cedar, Larch, and a bunch of non-native species grown for Christmas trees.

The hemlocks are the Grand-daddys as far as age. The white pines are the tallest.

Any preference?

[Flaire-FireStar]

:huh: Are spruce & pine the same thing?!?

[Lavender]

I always have trouble identifying the evergreens. :) Spruce and pine are different. Pine has needle bundles...usually in 2,3, and 5, depending on the type of pine. All pine trees would work. The younger white pine trees usually have softer resin bubbles that you can pop & squeeze out the resin. If you do that, please don't pop too many on one tree. And don't forget to leave a token of thanks. :)

We went for a hike today & came across a stand of very young white pine trees. I was able to gather up a bit of clear resin & made a pine resin salve with it. It smells wonderful!

First, make your basic salve mixture by using 1 parts grated beeswax to 4 parts oil.

Make the resin salve by using 1 part resin to 3 parts salve mix. Pour the salve mix into the resin when the salve mix is hot and in liquid stage. Mix thoroughly & pour into a container with lid. Let cool.

Pine resin salve is very healing for wounds. Especially for those hard to heal ones. Great for cracked chapped hands too. :)

[materra]

:eek: Dont use hemlock...very toxic.

White pine is good, spruce gum is discussed by Native American culture as a good "gum". Norway pine would be common in planted areas. I don't think you would have problems finding a Pine tree for your needs.

[Flaire-FireStar]

Aah....Okidokee.... :) We have a whole bunch of *spruce* up here, but other than having some on people's property, I can't think of where any are growing off the top of my head.,

Oh well - excuse to go wandering in the middle of no where. ;)

As for identifying spruce & pine - spruce needles are really short and prickly. Pine needles are longer, and you probably couldn't grab a hold of the branch with one hand. ;)

[Lavender]

One way of identifying hemlock is that the tops of the hemlock trees are very soft. The tip of the tree is bent over. This is only for the trees that haven't been topped, though. Pine needles are usually in sheaths and when you pull them off, they leave a round scar.

[Witchy Cowgirl]

Wonderful information ya'll. Every time I visit here I leave thinking, "Oh boy, gotta try that!"

[Lavender]

I just finished harvesting the fresh new pine tips for the season. More than enough to last through the next winter. :) Things seems to be behind this year. Last year, the tips came out around mid April. Did anyone harvest pine tips this year?

[Old Witch]

Have plenty of pines here.......only they are a gazillion feet tall loblollys.........need a Hot air balloon to harvest the tips.........:p

[Lavender]

:lol: I guess I should be more clearer. I didn't mean the tip at the top of the trees. <sorry> I meant the light green new growth at the end of the branches. They look like little green hedgehogs on the tips of the branches.

<visions of Old Witch in a hot air balloon snipping the tops off pine trees>:boquet:

[mol]

Originally posted by WildMother
<visions of Old Witch in a hot air balloon snipping the tops off pine trees>:boquet:

Hahah!